not make the fight about the debt ceiling, pass the three-month extension into april and, instead, make their stand either on march 1, when the automatic sequestration, $100 billion in spending cuts takes effect or march 27 when the government runs out of money. good idea? >> i think so, i think the debt ceiling struggle is probably a loser. the public has been convinced i think to some extent by what amounts to false information, that flows out of the white house and other quarters and throughout too much of the media, that the failure to raise the debt limit would mean an automatic default on international debt which is not true, but, nonetheless, scary. and, i think they didn't want to face that. they didn't do well the last time and have chosen a strategy to use this to get the senate, indirectly to pass a budget, which would be kind of historic, sips it has not happened in several years. and would at least shift the focus away from themselves and as for fighting on the continuing resolution to keep the government only or the sequester, it remains to be seen what strategy, actually